Since the beginning of June, the Town Crier has contacted the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) media information bureau every week in an attempt to receive updates about the missing people in and around the Idyllwild area.
RCSD Correctional Sergeant Deanna Pecoraro writes in the latest email communication last Thursday, “As soon as any information becomes available, we will get the information over to you. At this time, these incidents are still being looked into and these can often times take more than a week for any of the facts to change. We are still actively working diligently on these incidents.”
While it may take more than a week for any of the facts to change, the department has failed to release any new information in months.
The following response was sent to Pecoraro over the weekend: “With all due respect, while I do understand things don’t happen overnight, there have been zero updates about these four missing people since July. I’ve emailed every week since then. I’m hoping you have something you can provide about Roy Prifogle, Dia Abrams, Melissa Lane and Rosario Garcia.”
After that email was sent, it was realized the first email inquiring was actually emailed June 8, not in July, as originally thought for missing person Lydia “Dia” Abrams. Unfortunately, that is an even longer timeframe for the media information bureau to not provide an update. As of print time, the media information bureau had not responded to the most recent inquiry.
On Sept. 10, a RCSD SUV was spotted hauling an off-road vehicle near Highway 243 and Saunders Meadow Road.
According to Hemet Sheriff Station Captain Purvis, “They were conducting follow-up searches for Melissa Lane.”
While it was unclear exactly where on the mountain deputies were searching for Lane, Purvis also confirmed that the search didn’t provide any further information or evidence of where Lane may have gone missing. That is an update RCSD could have provided.
PHOTO BY HALIE WILSON
Lane, 41, was last seen June 15, according to a poster on display in the Mountain Center area. The Town Crier spoke to Kathy Lamont, Lane’s mother, “She was an avid hiker, but didn’t have a destination. She was last seen in Pine Cove. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”
Garcia was last seen July 7 wearing a brown shirt and blue jeans at the 26000 block of Katherine Street in Hemet. Garcia is a 73-year-old Hispanic female and it is possible she suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. She is 5’ 3” tall and 120 pounds.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Palm Desert deputies from the RCSD were dispatched to the area of 70000 East Highway 74 in Pinyon Pines at 11:46 a.m. July 9 after Garcia’s vehicle was found unoccupied. Garcia was not located after a search of the area was conducted.
Earlier in the year, Prifogle was reported missing after going on a hike in the Pine Cove area Wednesday, March 4. He left home at about 1 p.m. and was last seen at the Pine Cove Market at 6:30 p.m. on the same day. He was last seen wearing a red backpack and jeans.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KENDRA JOHNSON
RCSD Deputy Jeremy Parsons said, “After six full days of searching in between inclement weather, searching 8 to 10 hours per day, Prifogle has not been located. The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU), as well as search and rescue volunteers from San Bernardino County, Orange County and San Diego County, were assisting. In total, about 150 people have been searching during those six days.” Also adding, “On the second or third day of the search, we found his back-pack, but have found no other clues as to his whereabouts.”
On Sunday, June 7 at approximately 8:24 a.m., Hemet Station Deputies were dispatched to the 58000 block of Bonita Vista in reference to a missing person. Lydia “Dia” Abrams was placed into the system as a missing person.
Abrams is 65 years old, 5’ 5” tall, 130 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and turquoise jacket, yellow shirt and blue jeans.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LYDIA ‘DIA’ ABRAMS
According to RMRU, their team of volunteers was dispatched to Abrams’ 160-acre ranch in the Apple Canyon area (between Mountain Center and Garner Valley) June 9. They conducted a search from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no success of finding Abrams.
RMRU went out again June 10 to search more difficult areas on the property including a creek bed and the hills overlooking her ranch. All assignments were completed by 6 p.m. At that point, detectives took over the investigation and called off the physical ground search.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Roy Prifogle, Dia Abrams, Rosario Garcia or Melissa Lane, contact the RCSD immediately at 800-950-2444.